New Quebec premier vows sovereignty

Mr Landry stated his goal distinctly after being sworn in

The new premier of Quebec, Bernard Landry, has pledged to "vigorously push" for the province's independence from Canada.

This is now largely accepted: Quebec forms a nation

Premier of Quebec Bernard Landry

Mr Landry, a hardline separatist, succeeds Lucien Bouchard, whom he also replaced as leader of the ruling Parti Quebecois.

Mr Bouchard stepped down in January, saying he was unable to garner support for the separatist movement and Quebec sovereignty.

But Quebec's new premier is likely to provoke a confrontation with Canada's ruling Liberal Party, which firmly opposes Quebec separatism and has introduced a law making it more difficult for the province to secede.

Mr Bouchard stepped down in January

Mr Landry stated his goal distinctly after being sworn in.

"It is clear that I will pursue with all my determination the quest of national sovereignty," he said.

"My action in this sense is based partly on a central and powerful idea that is now largely accepted in Quebec: That Quebec forms a nation", he added.

Mr Landry said he wants a European Union-style partnership with the rest of Canada and the US.

To try to allay concerns that his party was intolerant of Anglophones, he made a brief point in English, inviting English speakers living in Quebec to participate in the construction of "a plural and inclusive Quebec".

Controversy

But Mr Landry's description of Quebec as a nation was quickly countered by the Federal Minister, Stephane Dion.

He said there were thousands of groups around the world calling themselves nations and most would never be independent states.

Opinion polls consistently show that support for independence has fallen significantly since the separatists lost the last referendum in 1995 by a narrow margin.

A new opinion poll at the weekend suggested most Quebecois were unhappy that Mr Landry was once again placing so much emphasis on this issue.

During his leadership campaign, his strong rhetoric started a series of controversies - not least when he was forced to apologise after describing the Canadian flag as a red rag.

Since then, he has promised to be more careful in his choice of language.